folklore.ieis a living online archive centered on the folklore collection work of Michael Fortune and is an ideal entry point into living superstitions, beliefs and customs from throughout Ireland.

All of the material which he has collected, archived and re-presented on folklore.ie stems

from localised field work which Michael Fortune has undertaken within communities and with individuals the length and breath of Ireland since the late 1990’s.

As a result of his process of collecting and re-presenting, Fortune has re-energised a huge interest in customs and traditions wherever he works. In his home county of Wexford, he has singlehandedly spearheaded a resurgent interest in local customs and beliefs and in particular those around the month of May and Hallowe’en. In saying that, it must be stressed that Fortune do not use folklore to service nostalgia, but instead attempts to highlight how folklore is constantly added to, and how it is intrinsically linked to both memory and occasion, fiction and interpretation.

Aside from his folklore work, he has worked collaboratively with his partner Aileen Lambert

on a series of innovative traditional song projects with the support of the National Library of Ireland, the Irish Traditional Music Archive and the Arts Council of Ireland. Likewise, these projects have created a wide interest in the narrative ballad, reviving many old songs, supporting singers and reaching new audiences.

Jim Carroll, Ireland’s leading collector of narrative ballads, in particular those within the travelling community, attributed the recent rise in the number of narrative ballads being

sung in Ireland to the direct influence of the work of Aileen and Michael.

As a result of Michael’s distinctive approach and prolific folklore collection work he is widely acknowledged as a leading pioneer and innovator within this area and has cut a furrow for many of his contemporaries over the past twenty years.

The ‘Michael Fortune Folklore Collection‘ (A 22 DVD box-set) was officially launched by writer and documentary maker Manchán Magan in the The National Library of Ireland in Dublin on Friday the 28th of October, 2016. The 22 DVD box-set was launched as part of the seminar ‘Vizzards and Collicks’ which explored Hallowe’en folklore and customs from an Irish perspective.